The Sound of Silence, the Rush of Noise
by NaylorFan90
Summary: Twilight Sparkle and others gather together. What has happened?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I am in no way involved in the creation or ownership of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. I make no money from this writing.

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Chapter 1: The Sound of Silence...

**()()()()()()**

Twilight Sparkle looked up into the sky and felt the rain fall onto her face and body. It was a cold rain, not too heavy, but enough to steadily soak through her black dress. She could have used magic to shield herself from the rain, but she didn't. She was glad for the rain. It hid the tears that streamed down her face and reddened her eyes. She, above all, could not be seen crying. Never her.

Lightning flashed above them, followed but a moment later by a boom of thunder that momentarily drowned out the sobbing beside her. Twilight looked over at the pony to her left, and felt her heart break. It just seemed...wrong, to see such vibrant pink marred by the somber black dress, to see those shoulders shaking and those bright blue eyes turned dull, lifeless. It was all too much for Twilight to bear.

"The weather teams certainly...certainly outdid themselves today, did they not?"

Twilight Sparkle turned her head and looked to her right, at the source of the shaking voice. For once she did not take the time to admire the white mare's dressmaking skill, but simply looked at her. "Yes, I suppose they did. It's the perfect weather for a fu-funeral..."

Rarity smiled weakly, falsely, and continued. "I heard that...that the Wonderbolts will be making a flyover...I think she would have liked that..."

Twilight Sparkle didn't bother answering. Instead she turned her eyes back to the cloud-filled sky. For a moment, a brief moment, she almost fooled herself into thinking that she saw the flash of a rainbow...

The soft clop of hooves barely registered to Twilight as Applejack walked up from somewhere behind her. The cowgirl wrapped a foreleg around Twilight's shoulders and pulled her close. "Big Ma's all finished up with tha grave." She, liked Rarity, forced on a smile that didn't belong. "Ah think that she...she woulda liked havin' her own private spot on tha farm..."

Twilight nodded, not trusting herself to speak. She pointed a bit down the road with her hoof, where a black carriage could be barely made out through the rain. "Look...she's almost here."

A minute passed in silence as the black carriage slowly made its way closer. Even Pinkie Pie's sobs faded away, replaced by weak sniffles. Rarity, Twilight noticed however, only grew louder in her crying.

Finally, the carriage pulled to a stop in front of them. The driver, an older colt with a black body and grey spiky hair, looked over at Twilight as she and the other ponies moved forward to take the oak coffin from the back. "Will you be able to manage this?"

Twilight gave a short nod as her only answer, and then stepped to the back of the carriage. There would be no magic, not for this. They would work to get her to her resting place. There would be no taking the easy way. Slowly, so as not to break anything, the four ponies took hold of the handles on the sides with their teeth and inched the heavy casket off of the carriage. Twilight took the front of the left side with Pinkie Pie behind her, Rarity the front of the right side with Applejack behind her.

The coffin off the carriage and in-between them, Twilight gave a small signal to the other with her horn, and then they were moving. Silence pressed down on them as they passed through the gate into Sweet Apple Acres, making their way past the farmhouse, across the fields of apples and other crops to the tallest hill in the most secluded spot. As they went the rain lessened somewhat, for which Twilight silently thanked the Pegasi somewhere in the clouds above them. She did not want to slip in the mud while carrying...carrying...

"Big Sis, where's Rainbow Dash?"

Applejack kept herself moving, kept the tears out of her eyes as she briefly let go of her handle and looked down at her younger sister, Apple Bloom. It looked so wrong to see the little filly in her little funeral dress, her and her friends. Applejack almost couldn't answer. "Rainbow Dash...she couldn't make it, little sweety. Now g-go on, go back up ta your friends and Big Mac now..."

Apple Bloom did, and once she was away Applejack let the tears fall. She quickly took back hold of her handle, and together the four friends continued on their way up the hill. There was no use dillydallying.

Once the four reached the top of the hill, Twilight thankfully relinquished her hold on the coffin to those sent there from Canterlot. Carrying it had been one thing, but to actually place it beneath the ground...Twilight turned and looked each of her friends in the eye, and saw the same expression in them. They would never be able to do that. It would kill them.

Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Applejack joined those who had already been there on the hill. Spike, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, Big Mac, Granny Smith, the Mayor, and a few others that Twilight did not recognize. She didn't care though. All she cared about was the one pony who was not there. "Rainbow Dash..."

"Yeah, I'm here..."

Twilight and a few others looked up, the ponies that had begun slowly setting the coffin into position over the freshly dug grave pausing to look up and see the brightly colored Pegasus slowly drifting down towards them all. She was still in her rookie Wonderbolts uniform, and Twilight realized after a moment that she had to be part of the team that was going to do the flyby. Or at least, she had almost been.

Once Dash had landed by Twilight's left, between her and a silently crying Spike, the workers resumed their work. Twilight looked at the Pegasus's reddened eyes and, after a moment, put a comforting foreleg around her shoulders. "We all know you did your best to save her..."

Rainbow Dash stayed silent, and after a moment Twilight retracted her limb and pulled away. She paid no attention as the Mayor took the podium and began talking. She just kept her eyes down, focused on the coffin that held her closest, sweetest friend. It began to be lowered down into the grave and still she watched, unable to take her eyes away from it. Her wet hair plastered to her skull was meaningless. Everything went silent to the Unicorn. Everything but the rain.

Hundreds of feet above the gathered crowd, the Wonderbolts flew by. None paid them any attention. Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Apple Bloom stood huddled together, unsure what to think, what to do. None of them had ever been to a funeral before; for it to be their biggest role model...

Spike stood a mere foot away from them, arms crossed over his chest. He shivered in the cold and out of sadness. She had been the first of their group besides Twilight to really talk to him. They had bonded so well, even if they didn't really hang out much. He wondered if, if he hadn't of been so obsessed with Rarity, there could have been anything between them...

Lightning laced through the sky above, the rain fell in sheets, and one word echoed through Twilight's mind. The name written on the simple grave marker:

"Fluttershy..."


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I am in no way involved in the creation or ownership of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. I make no money from this writing.

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Chapter 2: ...the Rush of Noise

**()()()()()()**

Lightning laced through the sky above, the rain fell in sheets, and one word echoed through Twilight's mind. The name written on the simple grave marker:

"Fluttershy...Fluttershy..."

**()()()()()()**

"Fluttershy, Fluttershy..."

"Twilight, wake up! Twilight!"

"What's she sayin'?"

Twilight Sparkle could feel scaly little hands shaking her hard, while several panicked voices all shouted at once. Her eyes shot open and she found herself lying in the main area of her library home. Close around her stood Applejack and Pinkie Pie, while Spike kneeled beside her, hands holding tightly to her shoulders. A few feet above her hovered Rainbow Dash.

Before Twilight could say or do anything Spike jumped forward and wrapped his arms around her neck in a close embrace. "Oh Twilight, you're okay!"

Applejack took a few steps forward and smiled. "We were all worried 'bout ya Sugar cube when your spell ta see the future made ya collapse. Spike was just about ta call for Rarity when ya began sayin-"

Twilight jumped to her hooves before the cowgirl could finish speaking, shaking Spike off of her before racing for the door. "There's no time for this, we have to go help Fluttershy! She's in danger!"

"What!" Rainbow Dash zoomed forward to between Twilight and the door, making the purple pony skid to a halt. "Did you see this in the future? What kind of danger, where is she?"

Twilight whimpered and looked around at all her gathered friends, before scrunching her eyes shut to stop the tears. The vision of the future was still all too clear in her mind. "Fluttershy's in...the nest of the Kaiser Scorpions."

**()()()()()()**

Fluttershy rolled across the stony ground and collided when a stone pillar, resulting in a sickening crunch sound as her left wing got caught between the stone and her body. She forced her scream of pain to stay inside and quickly rolled to the side, just barely dodging as a massive scorpion stinger stabbed into the spot she had been in just a moment ago. Rolling to her feet she bounced back and out of the way of a swipe of the giant, onyx-black scorpion's claw, and then looked up at it in the eyes.

"Pl-please, I didn't...didn't mean to come here, I just got lost..." Oh this had happened, Fluttershy couldn't understand. She had just been wandering the edge of the Everfree Forest, searching for a unique herb Zecora had taught her could be made into a medicine, when she lost her footing and slid down a steep hillside into an area void of trees or any vegetation. It was unlike any part of the Everfree Forest she had ever seen before. Then the scorpions came, bigger than the Manticore, digging out from under the gravelly soil...

A deafening hiss from the giant scorpion in front of her snapped Fluttershy back to the present, just in time to again jump back and out of the way of a claw swipe. She instinctively tried to spread her wings to fly away, before a burning pain made her scream and drop to the ground. She was sure of it now; one of her wings was broken...

The giant black scorpion hissed again and charged forward, tail reared back and ready to spear the flightless Pegasus to the ground. Fluttershy closed her eyes, unwilling to watch, until a loud, brash voice echoed through the barren area. "Hey, Scorpion dude! Leave her alone!"

Fluttershy's eyes shot open, and she snapped her head around to see a cyan Pegasus standing on the lip of the wide and shallow canyon. "Rainbow Dash!" To the sides of Dash walked up Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie, who for once was not smiling. Fluttershy felt her heart lift at the sight of her friends. "Girls, you came for me!"

The Kaiser scorpion hissed and turned towards the new arrivals. Applejack gulped and turned to look at Twilight. "Hey, uh, what exactly are we getting' into, sugarcube?"

Twilight glanced over a briefly at Applejack, before returning her gaze to ahead. "Something Princess Celestia told me to never get into."

AJ sighed. "I figured you'd say that."

"Enough talking!" Shouted Rainbow Dash, flying forward. "Let's go, girls!"

With that shout, echoing through the area, the all the ponies charged, Dash easily taking the lead. The Kaiser scorpion hissed and charged forward to meet them, slashing his tail blade out at the rainbow blur. Dash rolled out of the way of the attack and kicked her legs out as she passed, hitting the scorpion in its right side.

The giant arachnid hissed and, just as it turned to follow Dash Applejack ran beneath it and lassoed the back two legs of its left side. With a pull of the rope the scorpion stumbled, right into a double-hoof kick to the face courtesy of Pinkie Pie. "You leave our friend alone, you big meany scorpiny!"

"RAAAAGHR!" The scorpion smacked Pinkie away with a swipe of a claw and jerked the tied-up legs forward. Applejack fell forward with a shout and rolled to her back in time to see the scorpion tail stabbing down at her. She rolled out of the way of the deadly hook and under the main body of the scorpion, forced to keep moving to avoid the six clawed legs stamping down all around her.

Twilight and Rarity ran over to where Fluttershy lay to check on her while the others kept the scorpion busy. Kneeling by the yellow Pegasus's side Twilight nearly cried at the numerous cuts and bruises that covered her friend's body. "Fluttershy, can you move?"

Fluttershy nodded and forced herself to her hooves, taking a limping step before gasping and looking around. "Oh no no no no! Where'd they go!"

"Where did who go, darling?" Rarity asked.

Her question was answered the next moment, as a plume of sand and rock suddenly erupted just a few feet away. The eyes of the trio of ponies widened in horror as a second scorpion clambered out from beneath the ground, turning glowing red eyes towards them.

Twilight felt for sure that they were focused right on her. Looking for a moment over at Applejack and Pinkie Pie to see them busy with the first Kaiser scorpion, Twilight grimaced before sighing and stepping in-between her friends and the new scorpion. "Girls, I want you to run." The second scorpion was between them and the way they had come, so Twilight gestured with her horn over to a distant cluster of pillars and crumbled walls. "Rainbow Dash and I'll lead the scorpion over to those ruins, and you two will get to safety, okay?"

"B-but Twilight..."

"GO!"

Rarity and Fluttershy yelped and hurried off, Rarity helping the injured pony along. Twilight kept her eyes on the giant scorpion in front of her, but didn't fail to hear the soft sound of wings flapping beside her. "Are you ready for this?"

Rainbow Dash grinned and reared back. "I was born ready."

"Then charge!"

**()()()()()()**

Applejack jumped out of the way of a smashing claw and kicked out, planting both back hooves into the scorpion's face. For her efforts she was grabbed around the middle and thrown several yards away, grunting as she collided with a broken pillar of stone. She slid down to the base of it and groaned. "Ow..."

Some wild whooping and laughing caught Applejack's ears, making her look up and gasp. There was Pinkie Pie, all four legs wrapped tightly around the scorpion's tail as it was waved about. "Pinkie Pie, ya crazy filly! How'd you get up there?"

"I'm nottttt reaaaally suuuuuuure!"

Applejack sighed and shook her head. "Tarnation..." Looking around a moment, Applejack spotted her lasso still wrapped around one of the scorpion's legs, and then looked at the pillar she had crashed against. It was taller than Twilight's library home, and about as wide. A plan began to form in the cowfilly's mind. She smirked and looked back up at Pinkie Pie. "Ya'll hold on there, Pinkie Pie! I got a plan!"

Applejack ran forward and slid back under the scorpion, grabbing hold of the free end of her rope as she passed. It pulled taught and, with a screech from the scorpion, pulled the leg down with it. The scorpion stumbled and flipped over onto its back, nearly dislodging the pink Earth pony from its tail as it thrashed about. What it fully dislodged, however, was the lasso. Applejack ran around the scorpion to its tail, dodging the flailing scorpion legs as she went, and threw the piece of rope up to Pinkie Pie. "Here, take this an' wrap an end around the tail, hurry!"

"I'm on it!" Pinkie yelled, already getting to work on the task. Applejack began to say something, before a thick black claw grabbed her around the torso. Flipping back around onto its legs, the scorpion gave a shriek before tossing the screaming Applejack threw the air. Pinkie Pie cried out in horror when her friend struck against a distant pillar and fell limply to the ground. "AJ, GET UP!"

**()()()()()()**

Twilight pushed all her strength into her legs and jumped, just in time as the stone platform she had been on crumbled from the strike of the scorpion's tail. Rainbow Dash caught the Unicorn in mid-air and flew up a dozen feet before throwing her even higher. Twilight twirled once in the air, before curling her legs to the sides and aiming her horn down. Down she dropped towards the massive scorpion below, crackles of magic energy running the length of her horn.

The scorpion shrieked as Twilight slammed into the middle of its back, the impact from the fall and the release of the magic blasting off a good chunk of armor and some flesh from the monster's back. Before the scorpion could smack Twilight off Dash swooped in once again and snatched Twilight up, this time however retreating deeper into the ruins.

"How we doing?" Dash asked Twilight, dodging beneath a mad swipe of a claw.

"About as well as I-LOOK OUT!"

Dash put on a burst of speed, flying out of the way of a collapsing pillar just in time. Twilight looked back to see the scorpion climbing along the side of the pillars and stone platforms Dash had to fly around, allowing it to steadily catch up. Within moments it would be close enough to spear Rainbow Dash through with its tail. Twilight didn't waste time asking, only throwing her head back to hit Dash and make her let go. The Unicorn did, and as Twilight fell to the rocky ground beneath them she twisted so that she was facing towards the oncoming monster.

"Leave my friends alone!" With this scream Twilight focused and sent out a wave of magic from her horn. The walls around them shuddered from the amount of energy released, before splitting into dozens of chunks and flying inwards. The scorpion shrieked as it was hit with the barrage of stones, some as large as Twilight herself, and tumble to the ground, landing just as Twilight did. Twilight kept up the flow of magic, smashing down more and more stone onto the scorpion. The glow of her horn lit up the entire area in a haze of purple, and the roaring crunch of the falling stones drowned out all other noises to her ears.

Finally, when there was no more debris to use, Twilight released the flow and collapse to her knees. Her breath came in sharp gasps as she sat there, staring with numb wariness as the massive pile of rock that covered the Kaiser scorpion. Rainbow Dash landed beside and slowly approached, mouth gaping at what she had just witnessed. "Dude, that was totally awesome!"

Twilight smiled weakly. "Thanks...I couldn't have done it without you. I-"

The rubble burst apart and the scorpion that lay beneath charge shrieking at the pair of ponies. Though still alive it was in horrible shape, the last half of its tail and its left claw arm missing. Dash jumped out and flew out of the way, but Twilight was not as quick on her hooves. The scorpion grabbed her by its remaining claw and continued charging forward, smashing her against a pillar, pinning her there.

Twilight screamed in pain as she felt a rib break and her front right leg bend at a bad angle. A few sobs of pain and terror escaped her as she looked forward and found herself looking into the eyes of the scorpion.

"**Take solace, my little pony, that you will not live to see your vision come to pass."**

Twilight screamed.

**()()()()()()**

Applejack's eyes shot open, and she rolled out of the way just in time to avoid a claw smashing down. She rolled to her hooves and started galloping, before a pain in one of her hind legs sent her tumbling back to the ground. "AHHH!"

"Applejack!" Pinkie Pie screamed down at her front from atop the scorpion's tail. She had guessed the cowfilly's plans, but if Applejack couldn't move, they wouldn't be able to pull it off...

Applejack grunted and forced herself back up onto her hooves, panting in pain and exhaustion as she looked up at the giant scorpion staring down at her. Forcing herself to grin, she ignored the pain in her leg and ran, ducking beneath a claw swipe as she circled around the scorpion. If she could just get it facing away from the pillar...

"Now, Pinkie Pie!"

The pink pony wasted no time in jumping from the tail, free end of the rope in her mouth, onto the top of the pillar. She quickly tied this end to the top of the stone and then waved to Applejack. "I got it!"

Applejack nodded and grinned, pushing herself to gallop faster. "Come on, ya big dumb bug! Catch me!"

The scorpion let loose a shriek and charged forward, intending to trample the offensive pony into the dirt, before an unyielding tug on its tail caught its attention. Continuing to pull, it looked around to see the towering pillar of stone begin to topple towards it.

"SHRIEEEEEEE-" SPLAAT!

**()()()()()()**

Rainbow Dash sped up, up, up into the sky, faster than she had ever pushed herself to go in any of her training. This wasn't a chance to impress the Wonderbolts on the line, or escaping Pinkie when she wasn't in the mood.

This was her best friend's life on the line.

As soon as she figured she was up high enough, Rainbow Dash twisted around in mid-air and began speeding down to the earth below. The wind whipped past her, her tail and mane force straight back along her body as she pushed herself. Faster, faster. The air was beginning to bend around her now, curving as she approached speeds reached only twice before, both times by her. The muscles in her face stretched, ached, her eyes getting itchy and tears flowing as the air pushed back at her. A tremble ran through her body, and suddenly the world went silent for Rainbow Dash. If she could turn her head back to look, she would see a magnificent rainbow flowing behind her, almost a match for the mythical Rainbow of Light.

But she didn't turn to look. Instead, her eyes were focused entirely on the rapidly approaching earth below her, and the giant scorpion that held Twilight Sparkle in its grasp. She had only one shot at this. The spot where Twilight had blasted away some of the back armor was her only chance...

With a scream of fury, Rainbow Dash performed her greatest aerial maneuver ever.

It all happened in a moment, too fast for Twilight to comprehend. One moment there was the scorpion, hissing horribly as it squeezed its claw around her torso, its eyes boring into hers with a hate no pony could manifest. The next moment the scorpion seemed to explode, a massive rainbow shockwave of force and light bursting outwards. Twilight was sent flying, her body tumbling through the air as the rocks around her blew back into pieces from the explosion.

Twilight closed her eyes, expecting at any moment to hit unyielding stone and die, but instead gasped as soft warmth enveloped her and slowed her to a stop. She opened her eyes and looked to see Rarity, with Fluttershy at her side, eyes closed and horn glowing. She had caught Twilight with her magic, and was slowly lowering her down to the ground.

As soon as Twilight touched down and the silvery glow left her, Twilight's legs buckled beneath her. Before she could fall however a body moved into place to hold her steady. "Don't worry sugarcube, we got ya."

Twilight glanced over and smiled at Applejack who in turn was being helped along by Pinkie Pie, before looking toward the billowing cloud of smoke and dust where the Kaiser scorpion had been. "R-Rainbow?"

No answer came, and Twilight's heart leapt into her throat. She pushed herself off of Applejack, ignoring the stabbing pain in her side, and staggered towards the crater. The other ponies followed close behind her. Twilight barely noticed their presence. "Rainbow Dash? Rainbow Dash!" This couldn't be happening, it couldn't! Had she gone through all this, put all her friends' lives in danger to prevent one friend's death, only to replace it with another?

"Rainbow Dash!" Twilight cried, collapsing to her knees. Tears stung at her eyes but she wiped away furiously at them. She, above all, could not be seen crying. Never her. "Rainbow Dash!"

Lightning crackled in the distance. Now the cries of the others were joining in, all loud, afraid, and despairing. Twilight forced herself to her hooves, took her first step towards the crater, when suddenly a new sound was heard. The cries around Twilight slowed down, and then stopped as the sound became recognizable to them all; the clopping of hooves. Twilight wiped again at her eyes and felt something rise up in her chest as a shadow appeared in the smoke.

"H-hey, look at that, I finally managed to actually beat a monster..."

It was Fluttershy who let out the first shout of joy as Rainbow Dash strode into sight. She was battered, cuts all over her body, her mane and tail torn up and mangled, but so very much alive. It was Rarity, the least injured, who reached her first, voice incomprehensible as she cried and embraced the Pegasus. Next was Pinkie Pie, her laughter ringing out through the area, clear and jubilant. Then Applejack and Fluttershy each arrived together, each taking a side of Dash and helping her along, despite her protestations.

And then Rainbow Dash looked straight forward, locking eyes with Twilight Sparkle, who stood there and allowed the warm tears to wet her cheeks. A silent moment passed between the two ponies, who had each saved the other's life. Nothing needed to be said.

**()()()()()()**

A/N: Well, I hope y'all enjoyed it.


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